While the Barnstable renewable energy commission continues to recommend the town adopt the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) system for trash disposal, the town council is still not decided which way to go and wants more data and another workshop on the issue.

Commission Chairwoman Alison Alessi presented the commission’s strong recommendation to the council at a solid waste workshop last week that the town implement full pay-as-you-throw curbside pickup and keep the transfer station open for bulky waste.

In addition, after a year of study, the commission recommended that the board of health require private handlers to take recyclables and the town institute unit based pricing for pay-as-you-throw users at the transfer station and make recycling free for all. The system would result in a lower sticker fee, Alessi said.

“It’s the most effective program for reducing waste,” she said, citing an average 40 percent reduction in trash in most towns. Under the system, residents pay a set fee per bag of garbage. She said 140 Massachusetts towns have adopted PAYT, including Plymouth, Wellfleet and Brewster.

Alessi cited the success rate of Sandwich, which adopted PAYT three years ago, resulting in a 48 percent reduction in trash and an increase in recycling from 29 percent to 54 percent. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for a lot of savings for rate payers,” she said.

She also noted the inefficiency and traffic caused by eight private haulers criss-crossing the town now. State grants also are available for towns that implement PAYT at the transfer stations, she said. Additional actions could include adding drop-off centers on the east side of Barnstable, she said.

After Alessi’s presentation, council Vice President Ann Canedy said the end goals of the various options are to save residents money, increase recycling and create a more incentivized system. She then asked for a workshop on the curbside and transfer station options with a consultant.

“We need the citizenry to advise us,” Council President Jessica Rapp-Grassetti said. Canedy added, “We haven’t heard from the citizens because we haven’t delved into this – what it would mean for this community. We need to do a thorough job of looking into this.” The costs to different size families, the town and the staff need to be considered, she said.

Canedy also asked Town Manager Tom Lynch to ask the Department of Public Works director for a specific recommendation regarding PAYT.

Councilor Eric Steinhilber said residents he has talked to about recycling say they want single-stream recycling. He also said many were not aware that recycling at the transfer station is currently free. He suggested alternate recycling locations and more education on the subject.